County Legislator Daniel Pavlock was right. The legislature needed to be reminded. The reminder of upholding the Constitution in the motion on Wednesday, October 26, “calling all Elected Officials of the State of New York and the United States Government to Exercise Their Legislative and Executive Powers Within the Bounds of Their Constitutional Authority” passed.

With the support of County Executive PJ Wendel and 13 county legislators, Mr. Pavlock and John Davis had the foresight to include in the motion 2 quotes from very influential figures in our nation’s history: Thomas Jefferson and Daniel Webster. “Webster … aptly said that ‘(i)t is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions,” and … Jefferson said that ‘[i]n questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.'”

There were naysayers from the public critical of the motion urging the legislators to vote it down. Six, in fact, did. One negative voice from the public claimed the historic quotes by Jefferson and Webster were needless.

That sour remark about the founders’ quotes inadvertently underscored the necessity of including them in the motion. It staked out a position about the Constitution. It conveyed the cruciality of reading, understanding and implementing the document as it was written. That’s to say, it means what it says rather than what we say it means. We come under its authority. We aren’t the authority over it.

A plethora of politicians, comprised of moderates to neo-cons and socialists and other left-leaners, swear to the CINO (Constitution in Name Only) making the document putty in their hands to mold it into what they want. Though a minority, those thankfully upholding, not molding, it include Rand Paul, Tom Massie, Byron Donalds, Mike Lee, and Victoria Spartz (anti-socialist Soviet immigrant).

Sadly a majority, such as Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, AOC, Adam Schiff and many others approach the Constitution as a political cafeteria (pick out what you want, add in what’s not there, and ignore what’s not liked). They likely read the Buffet Bible too, selecting what they like and ignoring what they don’t. They’ll take “love,” but pass on the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the only way to salvation, holiness, total depravity, judgment and heaven or hell.

Bible believers come under it’s authority. Shouldn’t it be that way with the Constitution? That’s what the action at the county legislative meeting reaffirmed.

The Rev. Mel McGinnis is a Frewsburg resident.